It is well known to utilize pressurized cans for dispensing products such as lotions and creams, for example, shaving cream. Generally these cans contain a product, for example shaving cream, and pressurized gas for expelling the product out of the container. The container is charged with the pressurized gas after placing the product in the container. Typically, a separate opening on the bottom of the container is utilized to introduce the pressurized gas into the container, and a plug or fill valve then is inserted into the opening to close the opening. Over the years, several advances in this process have occurred.
One such advance includes the use of a two-position plug or fill valve for performing this process. This two-position fill valve includes flutes on the side of the valve to provide access to the container when the plug is in a first position. A fill valve of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,900 to Nicholson. FIGS. 1–3 illustrate the use of this two-position fill valve.
As shown in FIG. 1, the two-position fill valve initially is inserted into the container to a first position. This insertion typically is done at the facility where the container is manufactured. The container with the valve inserted then is transported to a filling facility. As shown in FIG. 1, the flutes within the two-position fill valve provide an opening into the container. At the filling facility, the container is pressurized through this opening, as shown in FIG. 2. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the valve is further inserted into the container to a second position where the valve seals the container. Although fill valves of this type have been used for many years, they present several problems.
An often encountered problem is the propensity of these valves to be dislodged from the container while in transit to the filler. This problem delays the manufacturing process and requires disposal of containers not having a valve. Another problem is the inability to quickly fill the containers. Productivity in the aerosol filling industry is based upon the number of containers filled per unit of time. Current two-position fill valves do not allow for a high propellant flow rate. Attempts to improve the fill rate generally have resulted in the valves being more easily dislodged from the containers, and vice versa.
A need exists, therefore, for an improved two-position fill valve that has a lower propensity to be dislodged from the containers and that also facilitates faster charging of the containers.